Shoe



, 1930. .1. D. SHEPHERD SHOE Filed July 3l, 1929 Jan. 2l

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y tection for the Patented' Jan. 21, 1930 JAMES I). SHEPHERD, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SEDE Application filed July 3l,

, rlhis invention relates to safety shoes.

@ne ot the objects of the invention is in the provision of a safety shoe ordinarily used tor industrial purposes, the same being provided with a box toe member formed of bakelite or, rather, a phenolic condensation product.

Another object of the invention is in the provision oi a safety shoe so formed as to permit the use of a phenolic condensation product bon portion, the same having such properties andsuch resistanceto im act as to provide the most satisfactory sa ety shoe construction known at this time.

` Still another object lies in the'provision ol a safety shoe wherein a phenolic condensation product box stiener is used to provide protoes of shoes oit industrial workers.

A further object is in the method ol forme ing a satety shoe, said method ermitting the use of a phenolic condensation ox member in connection with the insole, lining, leather,

welt and outsole portions.

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ltherein g A still further object lies in the provision ot a sailety shoe which utilizes a bon'member having such properties as will not only practically obviate accidents to the toes of the wearer, but also insure a shoe constructed with such an ecient method as will increase greatly not only the lite ot the shoe but also enhance the appearance thereof.

@ther objects will appear in the tollowing specification taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in whichllig. 'l is a plan view trom above oi the toe portion ot `my safety shoe, there being a diagrammatic showingoil the position ot the phenolic condensation bon stid'ening member Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view, the line 2--2 oli llig. l;

llig.. 3 is an enlarged detail, showing the method ol attaching the various portions ol taken on the shoe;

hi 4l is a longitudinaleectional view showing t' e manner ol placement ot' the phenolic condensation herr within the toe portion ot the shoe; and

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Fig. t3 ris al perspective oil the halrelhtel or lt). Serial No. 382,331.

' phenolic condensation box stidening member.

Before referring specifically to the drawings, it might be well to trace somewhat the history and development 'of safety shoes. rlhese are used primarily for industrial purposes and came into prominence following the world war, until at the present time they are used by practically every largeindustrial organization, being sold in almost every instance by the manufacturer tothe industrial organization tor direct resale to its employees. Abviously, the usel of such sat'ety shoes by large industrial organizations is for the purpose of obviating accidents, the majority ot which occur to the toes of various machine operators or em loyees of any characteinf It may be stated as a matter vof fact that the use of this type of shoe by industrial .organizations reduces accident insurance rates materially.

Referring specihcally `to the safety shoe itself, it may be stated that as tar as general appearance and utility are concerned, this shoe not only approximates the ordinary shoe, but goes turther and rovides additional protection in that the ox portion thereof is strengthened to a high degree.

'lhis t pe of shoe having a safety feature was sol rior to the development herein shown by t e inventor, who is connected with the oldest and possibly best known concern devoting its entire ednrts to the production of safety shoes having bon members ot considerable strength. 'll`hese bon stiencrs were made ot an impregnated felt material which provided a `fairly satisfactory enclosure and 'protector tor the toes of the wearers ot the shoes. As a matter ot fact, the present inventor has used, tor many years, such telt material in his satety shoes. lDesirin however, to improve his safety shoes an to aftord greater protection as well as other advantages to the wearer, he commenced the development ot safety shoes which resulted in the present method ot shoe construction. Yllhis method includes the use el a balrelite or Yphenolic condensation product box. Bakelite, el course, is a well known substance, but the present applicant, it is believed, tound in this substance the real anwer to the neces-- sary requirements of his particular business. During his development work he used a great many different kinds of boxes, but in his discovery of bakelite for this particular kind ot shoe, such unexpected results were obtained as to cause him to cease further eorts in his Search for a material having the highest emciency for such service.

It is true that this material is more expensive, but the inherent advantages and the unexpected advantages that result from its use, as Well as the simpliied method of shoe construction that is permitted by its use, overcomes entirely such additional cost..

Referring now specifically to the drawings, there is shown merely the toe portion of a shoe, inasmuch as shoe construction is so well known as to obviate the necessity of showing the remaining portion.

In the drawings, there is shown a halrelite or phenolic condensation box member l0, which is formed in a manner to conform abu solutely to the shape of the wearers foot. llt is apparent that tor various sizes of shoes, different shapes and sizes of halrelite bones would obviously be used. This bahelite bon stidener is adapted to be placed inthe toe portion of the shoe in a manner to surround the toes of the wearer, this being probably best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The box stihiener itself is of considerable depth., as may be seen, but not oli such width as to deace or distort in any manner the shoe itself, its outer appearance being substantial-- ly that of any othershoe. It may he stated that as as strength is concerned, this balrelite bon is at least three or four times stronger than any ty used in previously known safety shoe apparent also that by increasing the depth ot the balrelite, the strengthl et the will he increased in direct proportion to une depth, and therefore the safety 'factor et the shoe as respects strength. may be incres sed as desired. The box member is grooved n iff-shaped. manner as at 11, to receive the beveled edge 12 of the insole 13. This lit-shaped groove is of suicient size to automatically compensate for any irregularities in sise or thickness ot the insole. The bakelite box is also beveled at the point 14, or rather at the point where the toes of the wearer are Y initially forced into the box in such manner as to permit ready entrance of the toot within the shoe, as well as smoothing that lportion of the bon to prevent pressure at that point upon the wearers foot.

This bakelite box stililener is again beveled at the point 15, or rather at its lower and outer edge in such manner as to permit and assist in the passage of the sewing needles thereabout in the later to be described sewing operationn As may be clearly seen in the drawings, a linin 16 surrounds the balrelite box stilener and t e leather portion 17 of the shoe overlies incassa the lining, following the contour of said box. A welt 18 of ordinary construction is united by the stitching 19, not only to the insole, but also the lining 16 and leather portion 17. A ller member of any desired material is provided at 20, and the welt 18 is stitched, as at 21, in the usual manner to the outsole 22.

The various elements making up this safety shoe have beeny described, and it might be well now to describe the method of constructing the shoe.

The bakelite bei; stidener is placed upon the last and the insole disposed in the grooved portion provided therefor, the insole, of course, being lirst shined in the ordinari7 manner to iform the in. er welt 9.3. The lining 16 and leather l are then placed about the hakelite toe and pt, led over and under the last by pulling machine, all ot the parts, including the welt being stitched to the insole 13 by the singT stitching 19. A filler is then provided ben ,rh the insole and the outsole is attached hy stitching 21 to the welt 18.

By using this akelite bor; member, the method of 'forn he shoe is simplified to considerable aeg ce, inasmuch as the ordi nary doubler used in arevious safety shoe construction, is obviat and. due to' the beveli et the outer and bottom edges of the bai box, the curved needles of the stitching chine ediciently follow the lower coge of "the balrelite box member and thereby prevent irregularities in such portion.

The smooth surface of the balrelite box stiflener permits the lining and leather to be drawn smoothly' tuereover, insuring an attractive apearance et' the shoe 'throughout its 11,11.

The manner olii placement of the insole with the wshaped groove prevents the edge of .he insole 'from ci lng up within the box, due to moisture ot any hind, this being common not only in safety shoes but also in other shoes and not only causing disco to the wearer but decreasing the lite of Une shoe.

Having described the construction and method ot forming this 'novel safety shoe, it might be well to set forth some oi3 the advantages that are obtained by the use of this phenolic condensation product box..

ln the iirst place, the shoe is rendered unusually strong by the use ot' this product. `Where the former safety shoe could stand a compression strength test over the center of the toe ot the shoe varying from 225 to 300 pounds., the present shoe will stand a compression test of from eight hundred to `fourteen hundred pounds. This increased strength is accomplished by a material which is really very light in weight.

This balrelite box has non-absorption qualities which greatly increase its ehciency over the previously known impregnated telt structure which was susce tible not only to the moisture within the s oe, but also to mois- Elfi lll?

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- ture applied to the exterior thereof. Heat l may,

obviousl affected the impregnated felt box, while ba elite is not susceptible to any degree offlieat to which, under ordinary circumstances, a shoe might be subjected. Furthermore, the bakelite -box is not susceptible l to bodily perspiration nor to most acids and further will give uniform results.

This character of box will retain its strength throughout the life of the shoe and has the furtherv and perhaps greatest quality of all, in that it is elastic to a point where it will shatter and disintegrate at breaking,

rather than dent into the wearers foot, such indentation in practically every instance in safety shoes where metallic boxes are used necessitating the amputation of the toes.

The bakelite box provides an exterior sur` face which presents at all times an attractive appearance not found in other similar types of shoes. The fact that the exterior 'surface of the bakelite box is glass-like as well as rounded also serves to obviate accidents in that a heavy article has a tendency r to glance off of such a smooth and rounded surface rather than. strike directly thereagainst. Further,lthe glasslike inside finish gives additional comfort to the wearer and because of such finish, permit the wearers foot to be placed immediately adjacent the box, a feature not found in this character o f shoe heretofore.

Moreover, we find that the bakelite box is of such composition as will absolutely prevent discoloration of the wearers hose, this, of course, not being true in shoes where other characters of safety box are used. Obviously, the bakelite box allows the shoe to `retain its attractive appearance and dependable strength throughout its life.

As respects the method of forming the shoe, it has been explained before that the ordinary doubler need not be used. The rolled and beveled edge around the top insures protction against friction between the foot and that edge of the box.

' As explained before, it is practically impossible for the insole edges to curl up within the toe and cause discomfort to the wearer. The rounding of the lower edges of the box insures an efcient sewing operation. The use of` this bakelite box permits uniformity of strength and appearance in different sizes of shoes. j

As respects the safety factors which are, of course, more important than allA others and which have been set forth throughout this specification, the inventor wishes to reiterate these features notl found in any heretofore known safety shoes. In the first place, this box portion has substantially four times the strength of the box used in any other safety shoe. Second, it will retain this strength when coming into contact with moisture, heat and practically all acids. The particular vwhere the material shatters and disintegrates rather than dents, contributes more than any single feature to the advantages of this particular product in its application to safety shoes.

This product is a non-conductor, therefore having additional advantages in use in industrial work. The method of constructin the shoe, wherein the box is placed around the insole and rests solidly upon the outsole rather than united thereto in the old manner by stitching only, contributes to the strength of the shoe and particularly to the safety features thereof.

There are other phenolic condensation products and synthetic resins in addition to the substance known commercially as bakelite having properties similar to the latter, and the term phenolic condensation product can be considered for the purposes of this invention also as designating said equivalent substances having the same general chemical structure and properties which would adapt them for use in the manufacture of a safety box toe.

What I claim is:

l. A stiffening element for box toes shaped to conform to the toe portion of a shoel and formed throughout of a phenolic condensation product, and being of such thickness as to provide such strength and rigidity as to resist deformation when subjected to external blows of great force as would ordinarily cause injury to the wearers foot.

2. A stidenin element for box toes shaped to conform to t e toe portion of a shoe and formed throughout of a phenolic condensation product, and being of such thickness as to provide such strength and rigidity as to resist deformation when subjected to external blows of great force as would ordinarily cause injury to the wearers foot, and said stifener being provided on its lower edge with a notched portion adapted to receive an abutting edge portion of the sole portion of av .shoe when the stilfener is incorporated there- 1n.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

- JAMES D. SHEPHERD. 

